Lighting system for electrically-propelled vehicles.



D. KINNIBURGH. LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRICALLY PROPELLED VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED DEC- l4, I914.

1,190,297. Patented July 11, 1916.

DAVID KINNIBURGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 11,1916.

Application filed December 14, 1914. Serial No. 877,161.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, DAVID KINNIBURGII, a citizen of the United States, reslding at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State strolled by the switch.

of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lighting Systems for Electrically-Propelled Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrically propelled vehicles obtaining current from an overhead conductor by means of a trolley wheel carried by the car, and its object is to provide a switch mechanism whereby the lighting circuit of the car is closed automatically while the car is running through a tunnel. The height of the overhead conductor or trolley wire from the ground is usually less in tunnels than on the outside, which necessitates the lowering of the trolley pole as the car enters the tunnel. The invention is designed to utilize this movement of the trolley pole to operate a switch which closes the lighting circuit, so that the lights are turned on as the car enters the tunnel.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective of a fragment of the car showing the switch which is operated by the trolley pole, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the circuit controlled by said switch.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 5 denotes the top of the car carrying the trolley pole 6 which supports the wheel 7 run ning on the trolley wire or conductor 8. On the top of the car, beneath the trolley pole, is mounted a switch comprising poles 9 and 10 adapted to be bridged by a blade 11 pivoted to the pole 9, and held normally elevated and out of contact with the pole 10 by a spring 12. These parts constitute an ordinary two-pole knife switch which is normally open. A second spring-actuated blade 13 is provided which is pivoted to a post 14. This blade is parallel to the blade 11, and the two blades are connected at their free ends by a cross bar 15 of insulation. The cross bar is in the path of the trolley pole 6, so that when the latter is lowered it strikes the cross bar and swings the switch blades down, the blade 11 engaging the pole 10 and thus closing the circuit which is con- The blade 13 is provided to obtain a iirm support for the cross bar 15, and to prevent lateral play of the blade 11.

At 16 is indicated the lighting circuit of the car, some of the lamps being shown at 17. From one side of this circuit a branclr conductor 18 leads and is connected to the switch pole 9. A branch conductor 19 is connected to the switch pole 10 and leads to a switch contact piece 20. In the circuit 16 is interposed a switch comprising a blade 21 located so as to engage a contact 22 in said circuit, and in another position to engage the contact 20.

In operation, the switch blade 21, during the night time, will be placed to engage the contact 22, whereby the lighting circuit 16 1S closed. During the day time, the switch blade 21 will be placed to engage the contact 20. The lighting circuit is now open, but if the switch blade 11 is swung down to engage switch pole 10, the lighting circuit is closed'through the branch conductors 18 and 19. Thus when the car enters a tunnel, necessitating the lowering of the trolley pole 6, the latter strikes the cross bar 15 and brings the blade 11 down to engage the switch pole 10. Thus the lamps in the car are turned in as the car passes through a tunnel, and

when it leaves the tunnel, the trolley pole, upon rising, allows the spring 12 to swing the blade 11 upward away from the switch pole 10, whereupon the lamp circuit is broken.

Fig. 2 shows the car equipped with two trolley poles, one at each end, and the switch mechanism hereinbefore described is duplicated at each end of the car. The trolley poles are perfectly free to round curves, and they are not obstructed in the least by the switches.

I claim:

1. The combination with the lighting circuit of a trolley car and the trolley pole, of a pivoted switch blade in the path of the trolley pole and engageable by said pole when the same is lowered, switch poles for said blade, a branch conductor from one side of the lighting circuit to one of said poles, a conductor leading from the other one of said poles, a switch contact to which the last mentioned conductor is connected, and a switch interposed in the lighting circuit, and engageable with the aforesaid switch contact.

2. The combination with the lighting circuit of a trolley car and the trolley pole, of

a switch carried by the car and actuated by in the lighting circuit, and engageable with the trolley pole when the latter is lowered, the aforesaid switch contact. 10 switch poles for said switch, a branch con- In testimony whereof I afiix my signaductor from one side of the lighting circuit ture in presence of two witnesses.

to one of said poles, a conductor leading DAVID KINNIBURGH. from the other one of said poles, a switch Witnesses:

contact to which the last mentioned con- S. J. LEHRER,

ductor is connected, and a switch interposed H. T. BATCHELOR.

Copies of this patent may be'obtained for five cents each; by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

